1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to driving scene transition prediction devices capable of predicting how a driving scene of a motor vehicle is transited to another driving scene in the future, and further relates to recommended driving operation display devices capable of supplying and displaying driving recommendation operation to the driver of the motor vehicle on the basis of the predicted driving scene.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional patent document 1, Japanese laid open publication No. 2003-228800, discloses a device for predicting future operation of motor vehicles which are present around an own motor vehicle. The device generates future operation of the own motor vehicle and generates recommended control input values and supplies them to the driver of the own motor vehicle on the basis of the generated future operation.
The device disclosed in the conventional patent document 1 detects information such as a location and a drive lane of each of motor vehicles around the own motor vehicle, and a speed of the own motor vehicle. The device further calculates a speed of the own motor vehicle on the drive lane, and the location and the speed on each drive lane of each of the motor vehicles around the own motor vehicle on the basis of the above detected information. A prediction means in the device predicts influence of the own motor vehicle to a group of other motor vehicles around the own motor vehicle on the basis of vehicle models, the number of the vehicle models is equal to the number of the other motor vehicle detected by the device. The vehicle model is composed of an operation model of a motor vehicle in a forward travel direction, and a model of changing a travel lane. For example, the operation model in the forward drive direction is generated every motor vehicle in order to maintain a constant travel time period between a preceding motor vehicle and the motor vehicle (as a following motor vehicle) on the basis of the preceding motor vehicle which runs in front of the motor vehicle.
In order to predict the influence of the operation of the own motor vehicle to the other motor vehicles, the operation model of the own motor vehicle inputs variable data items and the device calculates entire operation (location) of the group of the motor vehicles by using each vehicle model when a time series pattern of an optional acceleration instruction value is input.
The device disclosed by the conventional patent document 1 predicts the operation of a group of motor vehicles which travel in the same direction of the own motor vehicle only. This prediction of the operation of the motor vehicle group is predicted on the basis of a simple model in which a preceding motor vehicle and a following motor vehicle maintain a constant drive time period.
However, in actual driving scenes, there are various traffic participants such as pedestrians and coming motor vehicles which travel on an adjacent lane or an opposite lane in addition to motor vehicles which travel in the forward direction on the same lane on which the own motor vehicle drives, and they are affected to each other in an actual driving scene. Because, the operation of the own motor vehicle is affected from the state of a traffic signal on a current road, a frame problem occurs when the device disclosed in the conventional patent document 1 is applied to a more usual driving scene where various traffic participants including traffic signals have a complex operation. The frame problem is caused when an operation model such as a motor vehicle model is assigned to each of traffic participants and the entire operation of the traffic models is predicted on the basis of each of the operation models.
Further, the conventional patent document 1 assigns the operation model to each traffic participant. Such an operation model is generated by using information of other traffic participants such as preceding motor vehicles. Accordingly, when a new traffic participant comes or an existing traffic participant is removed from the driving scene, it is necessary to reset the operation model of each of the traffic participants and to predict the entire operation model of the traffic participants. The number of the traffic participants is often changed in an actual driving scene. Accordingly, the device disclosed in the conventional patent document 1 must cancel the operation model previously predicted, and must frequently predict a new operation model every changing the number of the traffic participants such as pedestrians, motor vehicles and traffic signals. During the process of predicting a new operation model, it is impossible for the device to use the previously predicted operation model of the traffic participants, and difficult to timely provide effective information to the driver of the own motor vehicle.